Martina Willer-Schrader: Watercolors June 6 - June 23, 1994 Ever since I became interested in art, I have been fascinated by the North German artist Emil Nolde, a member of the German Expressionist movement. To me, his pictures -- many of them watercolors -- represent a wonderful way to interpret the mood of real life through the use of strong and not always realistic colors. Especially his landscape paintings are more "lifelike" than many other more "realistic" pieces of art. After having worked with pastels since 1976, I started painting with watercolors in 1990 under the guidance of Antoinette Prince, a local artist. I always wanted to explore this medium, the spontaneity of which still fascinates me. Watercolors allow me to paint openly with strong colors. Over time, I have developed two sets of paintings. One set depicts realistic topics, such as landscapes and still lives, the essence of which I try to capture through color. The other set includes rather abstract pictures, often painted after mediations. These pictures are created intuitively. When commencing the painting process, I am not able to predict the outcome of my work. Not infrequently, I am amazed by the final result. Martina Willer-Schrader,"Retreat," Watercolor, 21 15/16" X 19" (framed), 1990 Copyright © 1990 Martina Willer-Schrader All Rights Reserved Martina Willer-Schrader,"Storm," Watercolor (framed), 1994 Copyright © 1994 Martina Willer-Schrader All Rights Reserved Go to the Dean's Gallery home page